Another unedifying chapter in the life and times of Paul Gascoigne was chiselled into football’s hall of infamy here last night as his self-destructive streak resurfaced to end his season almost before it had begun.

The Middlesbrough midfielder was left with a broken left arm and no one to blame but himself, after announcing his return to first-team duty with a moment of madness that simply defied comprehension on another torrid Teesside night for Bryan Robson. Once again there were tears before bedtime, sympathy was in short supply. Experience has clearly taught Gascoigne precious little, for the challenge on George Boateng that left another substantial question mark hanging over his future was an act of violence.

One win in Boro’s previous 10 Premiership games had meant an ignominious tumble into the relegation quicksand, with their manager Bryan Robson admitting in his programme notes that “relegation was a reality” and the chairman Steve Gibson breaking with protocol this week to express his first signs of dissatisfaction about the minimal return on his multimillion-pound investment.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Hence the return of Paul Gascoigne after the bout of influenza that had rendered him unfit for training but apparently well enough to catch the Mike Tyson circus in Manchester. Once a decorated heavyweight himself, the artist formerly known as England’s best footballer was accorded a reception born out of misguided adulation by the home supporters.

Kevin Keegan was there to watch his progress as well, but Gascoigne’s night lasted little more than 40 minutes after he flattened Boateng, the visiting midfielder, with a forearm smash that Giant Haystacks would have been chuffed with. It was seemingly missed by the referee Alan Wilkie but, as with Gascoigne’s infamous contribution to the 1991 FA Cup final, it backfired spectacularly as it rapidly became apparent he had been a victim of his own recklessness. Yet again English football was treated to the depressing sight of Gascoigne being carried off on a stretcher, attempting with little success to conceal a tear-stained face.

It was widely assumed Keegan was at the Riverside to run the rule over Paul Merson on a caustic night for the Villa forward against his former employers. After his messy departure the atmosphere brimmed with vitriol, but it was not long before the ire of the home supporters was redirected at their own players.

Few were exempt from the criticism that rained down from every corner of the stadium once Gianluca Festa had been caught in possession to present Benito Carbone with the opportunity to fire Villa into an 11th-minute lead. The bitter irony was that the two Italians had been close allies since their days together at Internazionale, but the breakdown in relationships was becoming a theme for the night.

As the news filtered through the ground the mood became one of depression. But when Carbone doubled his tally, quickly followed by two predatory strikes from Julian Joachim as the home defence went awol, the acrimony returned thick and fast. “Robson, what’s the score?” inquired the home fans. But this will be remembered as another of those Gazza nights.